Even if they lead us in the wrong direction, we can learn from it and analyze why our instincts that led us astray in that instance — if we pay attention to them.

Pay attention to your influences.

We need people to inspire us.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s role models, mentors, or individuals we’ll never meet but admire from afar. What matters is we have them, and we pay attention to them.

But it’s not enough to just be inspired by our influences— we must study their work, its evolution, how they got where they are, and where they’re going.

There’s no shortage of people in the world who claim to be influenced by Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey. But the number of people who have studied the lives, work, strengths, and weaknesses of Jobs and Winfrey is significantly smaller.

When we identify people or work that influences us, we have the opportunity to do more than be inspired by it — we can learn from it.

But we can only do so if we pay closer attention to it.

Pay attention to your dreams.

We’re going to spend roughly a third of our lives asleep. That’s an opportunity.

No matter how close we pay attention to things in our lives, there will still be issues we don’t consciously deal with or recognize.

That’s where dreams come in.

Dreams are powerful tools to process deep issues we may overlook in our waking hours. We can learn a lot from them if we pay attention.

Regardless the specific content of our dreams, we can consider their emotional underpinnings, tone, and the issues they surface.

Dreams aren’t random. There’s a reason we have them and a reason for things that happen in them.

It’s up to us to consider them and if we do, they can be a powerful sign that illuminates things we may otherwise miss when we’re awake.

Pay attention to your body.

Much like our dreams, our bodies are also a tool that sends us signals about the choices we make.

If we catch a cold, it’s likely because stress has weakened our immune system.

If we have back pain and headaches, it’s likely rooted or amplified by other situations we face and decisions we’ve made.

We’re good at tricking ourselves into thinking choices we make and ways we operate are fine when they’re not. Our body keeps us honest.

Our brain often uses our body to send us a signal that we’ve made a wrong turn somewhere along the way. We’d be wise to listen to it.

Pay attention to your fears.

We’re all afraid. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Fear is only a problem when we run from it. Viewed differently, it can represent a valuable signal.

As the brilliant Seth Godin explains, we can treat fear as a compass and and allow it to guide us toward where we need to go.

As he explains:

“The fearless person is well aware of the fear she faces. The fear, though, becomes a compass, not a barrier. It becomes a way to know what to do next, not an evil demon to be extinguished.

When we deny our fear, we make it stronger.

When we reassure the voice in our head by rationally reminding it of everything that will go right, we actually reinforce it.

Pushing back on fear doesn’t make us brave and it doesn’t make us fearless. Acknowledging fear and moving on is a very different approach, one that permits it to exist without strengthening it.

Life without fear doesn’t last very long — you’ll be run over by a bus (or a boss) before you know it. The fearless person, on the other hand, sees the world as it is (fear included) and then makes smart (and brave) decisions.”

Pay attention to your history.

If you’re the kind of person who’s read this far, you’re probably the kind of person who likes to focus on the future, on improving your life, and on what’s next.

That’s great (I’m the same way), but it can also be dangerous.

The more we focus on the future, the easier it is to overlook the value of our past.